Learning how to identify similarities and differences is one of the most fundamental things a student will learn. From the time this concept is set into their brains, they will constantly compare things in their lives. This is important to learn new things, because you can say "This is not like that," and use that as a way to learn about something. For example, in the marching band I teach we march certain drills, and they know that "Box A" is different from "Box B" because they don't go to the right in that one. According to an Iowa State University article, Genter and Markman found in their pyschology research that natural human thought turns to identifying similarities and differences in the things around us. One way to use this natural tendency and use it to enhance learning is to compare. In elementary school the Venn Diagram is a popular way of doing this, because you can identify what is different about one subject from another, and then identify what they have in common. I have made an example Venn Diagram shown below.
I know that many classrooms across the country now have access to SmartBoards, and I have found a video that explains how to use a software program to create an activity based on categorizing items, another way to teach identifying similarities and differences. The same concept can be applied to creating Venn Diagrams or T Charts in which students go up to the board and drag the word or picture into the correct portion of the circle or chart. (Activity begins around 0:48 into the video). After doing this activity on the SmartBoard as a whole group, the teacher can then have the students move into individual work comparing two things of their choice on paper, or in small groups on a larger piece of paper or white board as a group project. With the group project, they can then present their Venn Diagram and explain why they put each characteristic where they did. The idea of identifying similarities and differences allows students to grasp a deeper knowledge and understanding of an object or concept, which they will be able to apply later on in life. How would we know what an orange is compared to a apple if we did not realize that apples are green or red, have a core and a stem, and the skin is edible, while oranges are orange, citrus-tasting, need to be peeled, and pull apart inside?
Learning how to identify similarities and differences is one of the most fundamental things a student will learn. From the time this concept is set into their brains, they will constantly compare things in their lives. This is important to learn new things, because you can say "This is not like that," and use that as a way to learn about something. For example, in the marching band I teach we march certain drills, and they know that "Box A" is different from "Box B" because they don't go to the right in that one. According to an Iowa State University article, Genter and Markman found in their pyschology research that natural human thought turns to identifying similarities and differences in the things around us. One way to use this natural tendency and use it to enhance learning is to compare. In elementary school the Venn Diagram is a popular way of doing this, because you can identify what is different about one subject from another, and then identify what they have in common. I have made an example Venn Diagram shown below.
I know that many classrooms across the country now have access to SmartBoards, and I have found a video that explains how to use a software program to create an activity based on categorizing items, another way to teach identifying similarities and differences. The same concept can be applied to creating Venn Diagrams or T Charts in which students go up to the board and drag the word or picture into the correct portion of the circle or chart. (Activity begins around 0:48 into the video).
After doing this activity on the SmartBoard as a whole group, the teacher can then have the students move into individual work comparing two things of their choice on paper, or in small groups on a larger piece of paper or white board as a group project. With the group project, they can then present their Venn Diagram and explain why they put each characteristic where they did.
The idea of identifying similarities and differences allows students to grasp a deeper knowledge and understanding of an object or concept, which they will be able to apply later on in life. How would we know what an orange is compared to a apple if we did not realize that apples are green or red, have a core and a stem, and the skin is edible, while oranges are orange, citrus-tasting, need to be peeled, and pull apart inside?